What You Need to Know About Cyberbullying

November 20, 2018
Lexero LLC

When most people hear of cyberbullying, they assume that it is an issue only impacting young people who are bullying others online. While that is certainly a major component of this problem, this is just one aspect of a much larger subject. In fact, cyberbullying today impacts adults all the time, and is even a very serious legal subject that can lead to fines and jail time. If you are a victim of cyberbullying, or you are accused of cyberbullying, you need to have a good understanding of this subject.

Examples of Cyberbullying

There are many different actions that can be considered cyberbullying. All of them can cause serious psychological suffering and may lead to consequences in the real world. One may not assume that their actions online aren’t serious or won’t have further impacts. The following are some of the most common types of cyberbullying seen today:

  • Harassment – This is the most well-known type of cyberbullying and is where one person or group harasses another individual on social media, email, or other platforms. This harassment can be name calling, criticizing, and even encouraging the individual to commit suicide.
  • Threats – Threatening people online is a very serious form of cyberbullying. These threats can include saying they will fight the other party when they see them, they will kill them, or other serious types of violence. Even threatening a school or workplace shooting can be considered cyberbullying.
  • Outing – Outing can either be revealing a serious type of personal information about the other party or posting private images or videos about the person. Common types of outing include revealing a private sexual orientation of another party or posting private pictures publicly.
  • Masquerading – Masquerading is when one person or group pretends to be another person, or even acts anonymously, to engage in other types of cyberbullying.

Legal Penalties of Cyberbullying

The legal penalties of cyberbullying can vary greatly depending on the extent of the bullying and what other actions were taken. For example, if someone commits suicide after extended cyberbullying, the bullies can be held legally responsible based on their actions. Given the rapidly changing nature of the Internet, and cyberbullying itself, the courts often struggle to keep up with appropriate laws and punishments.

This is one reason why it is so important to have experienced legal representation whenever dealing with these types of issues. If you have been the victim of cyberbullying and want to talk about your options, or you are accused of cyberbullying, please contact Lexero Law Firm to schedule a consultation today.

The following two tabs change content below.

Lexero LLC

Lexero is a unique law firm with the sole goal of providing clients with the highest quality advice, service and value. Located in the heart of the legal capital of the world, Washington, DC, Lexero boasts an attorney roster with appellate and trial success who have been quoted or featured in some of the world’s most prominent media outlets. You can also read about some of the firm’s recent client successes.

Latest posts by Lexero LLC (see all)